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Music Therapy in Action
Anecdotes and Observations in Music Therapy
Cathy Knoll, MT-BC In many ways, Nick is a typical five year old boy. His favorite activities are running outside, playing on the computer, and sitting in his mom’s lap. It doesn’t take long to observe that Nick acts differently than the other students in his class. He screams loudly when he moves from one activity to the next. He seldom speaks, and most of his words simply echo what he has just heard. Nick is a youngster diagnosed with autism.
When he began music therapy services in the public school early childhood class at age three, Nick avoided eye contact, refused to sit in a chair, and spent most of his day crying loudly or jumping and spinning around the room. He screamed and kicked while sitting in a chair during music therapy class. Whenever the therapist sang, Nick looked at her briefly as the music captured his attention momentarily. Over a period of several months, Nick began voluntarily sitting in a chair close to the therapist while strumming the guitar, playing a paddle drum, or playing individual keys on a piano as the therapist sang. He began waiting patiently in the group for longer periods of time, anticipating his turn to play his favorite instruments. One day as the therapist was singing, Nick reached out to open the her mouth, peering deep down into her mouth as if to search for the source of the sound. She began singing, but with garbled words since her mouth was being held open. Nick looked right at the therapist, touched her eyelid, and laughed loudly. He had made the connection between the therapist as a person and the music he so enjoyed. Not long after that, Nick uttered his first word in music therapy, singing the final word in a familiar song. After two years in weekly music therapy classes, Nick now participates in a thirty-minute music therapy group while playing instruments, waiting his turn, sharing instruments with other students, completing lines of familiar songs, following simple directions, and smiling with joy in response to other children or the music therapist. Typically, Nick simply echoes the teacher’s questions. When asked recently which instrument he wanted to play first, Nick looked intently at the therapist and said, “The guitar.” His direct answer to the question caused such a stir in the classroom that the therapist almost forgot to give Nick the guitar. Is music therapy a miracle? Can music therapy cure autism? No. Music therapy is not a magic pill that eradicates the problems associated with autism or other disabilities. However, music can capture the attention of people and encourage them to participate in active music-making. This is often the critical "first step" as people discover their abilities and as they learn to compensate for their disabilities. CATHY KNOLL, MA, MT-BC, lives and works in Stephenville, TX where she has contracted direct and consultative music therapy services to public school education programs, group homes, and individuals since 1978. Because of the rural setting, her practice focuses on music therapy for groups and individuals with diverse disabilities, particularly people challenged with autism, developmental disabilities, behavior disorders, physical impairments, and learning disabilities. She has also worked with a program for older adults with developmental disabilities who are integrated into a more typical residential care center for older people. Many of these clients are challenged with Alzheimer's and other dementias as well as with developmental disabilities. Now that her children are off in college, Cathy is serving a growing number of clients in her home-based music therapy studio. She also coordinates a ministry at her church for people of all ages who are typically isolated from a faith community because of significant social and behavior issues. www.SpecialJoy.org
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